Strength Among Chaos
by F-Xavier
Summary: A promise fulfilled changes the life of one Naruto Uzumaki as the final round of the Chuunin Exams comes into play.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A promise fulfilled changes the life of one Naruto Uzumaki as the final round of the Chuunin Exams comes into play.

A/N: Ok, so this is a story based on, of course, Naruto Uzumaki. Our favorite, most unpredictable leaf ninja. It starts off canon and takes a slight corner as he wins his round with Neji. The plot is based on my take of what would happen if Naruto was actually as badly treated as most fan fictions have stated, despite Kishimoto-san's claim that he was just ignored at worst.

Now of course I'm not going to tell a story about how Naruto was hugely mistreated, abused, and beaten as a child. I simply don't have the heart to push that upon Naruto. Instead I'm going to use the concept of human fear and irrationality to show what happens when he becomes more than just the village idiot. When he shows the world that he's a lot more talented than what they thought he was.

If you have any thoughts, concerns, or complaints (Constructive please) please leave a review or PM me. I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: This story is based on Masashi Kishimotos Manga entitled Naruto. I claim no right, no possession, no anything to the series. This story is entirely fiction. If you really wish to sue me the only thing you would get is my Box that I live in and my food stamps card. And though I really understand most peoples obsession with food, it's really not worth it.

_**Please enjoy the story.**_

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The boy, no older than 13, stood in the middle of a crowd filled arena panting lightly and staring at a cloud of dust. He readjusted his blue headband and wiped his brow with a grin, proud of his accomplishment. This boy, an orphan by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, had just beaten the crap out of an older boy, Neji Hyuuga. This of course was considered a miracle by the crowd as Naruto was considered the dead last of his ninja academy class, while Neji, a member of the esteemed Hyuuga clan, was considered rookie of the year and prodigy of his class.

Not only had Naruto beaten the crap out of Neji, He had done it with Shadow Replications, a Forbidden Technique that most Jounins had trouble with, he had also used the summoning technique. Summoning dozens of little toads and tadpoles to distract Neji while he planned a way to get passed the 'Impenetrable Shield' that Neji used to cancel out most of his attacks. He also used his Shadow Replications to test out the shield while he stayed in the sidelines, using the replacement technique to switch with one of his replications frequently so that Neji wouldn't notice him.

As Naruto observed Neji perform his shield over and over, he noticed how Neji never moved. Naruto also noticed how Neji left himself open from the ground. Using this knowledge, Naruto won the match by digging a hole and upper cutting Neji in the jaw and then proceeding to the beat the crap out of him.

To most in the crowd, this was an outrage. How in the world had Naruto gotten his grubby little hands on the summoning contract that the fourth Hokage had used while he still was alive? Soon the civilians in the crowd were angry and fearful, raging about how Naruto had used his tenant. They yelled and screamed that the boy should be detained. That the blond haired, blue eyed boy who vowed unrelentingly that one day he would be the Hokage and protect them all, was becoming the demon that was sealed inside of him.

Naruto looked at them confusedly at them. _"What?! They can't be serious!" _ He screeched in his mind. Looking franticly at them all he silently willed them to calm down. _"Oh No! They need to shut up, are they stupid or something?! Iruka-sensei said that anyone who talked about it would get killed! _His panic rose as he spotted his former classmates in the stands. _"Oh crap! Now they're gonna hate me too!" _ His breathing became labored and his chest tightened at the prospect of losing all of the precious he had gained, simply because the civilians were too ignorant to know the difference between the jailor and the jailed.

Up high in a separated area in the stands, the Hokage stood immediately as the crowd shouted for Naruto to be detained. His face grew tight and red with fury as he ordered the ANBU to his left to get the other ninjas available and control the crowd. He couldn't believe the audacity of them all, _"How can they yell out an S-class secret, when there are foreigners among us no less! Those Fools!"_

The Kazekage beside him was grinning underneath the cloth covering his face. _"Ha-ha! With those fools distracted with their own civilians, I have the opportunity to start the invasion early!" _He thought smugly as he signaled his men to begin.

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A/N: Well there's the chapter. I hope that you guys liked it. I know it is short (just 578 words), but it's just the prologue. There'll be more next chapter.

Edit 2-13-10: I added a disclaimer that I so wonderfully forgot to include the first time.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Woot, here's the new chapter. So sorry it's late!!! I was so busy with work, I haven't even slept in over a day. 9_9 I am literally the walking dead at the moment. Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter. _

_Disclaimer: The manga series: Naruto; Belongs not to myself but Masashi Kishimoto and his publishers. I claim no rights to the manga.  
_

"_How can they yell out an S-class secret, when there are foreigners among us no less?! Those Fools!"_

_The Kazekage beside him was grinning underneath the cloth covering his face. "Ha-ha! With those fools distracted with their own civilians, I have the opportunity to start the invasion early!" He thought smugly as he signaled his men to begin._

_--_

The crowd sustained their chanting; ignorant to the actual peril they were putting themselves in. Some were getting so upset that they turned red in the face, others were turning white from fear. Children were gawking at the adults wondering why they were screaming, why they looked so angry, so afraid. Their bewilderment, however, didn't last long as feathers began falling from the sky.

—Meanwhile, Down in the arena.—

*Poof* _"What the Hell?"_ Was Kakashi's first thought as he shunshined into the stadium. People were yelling randomly and then falling asleep mid-rant. To him, the chaos looked as if the crowd was insane. Though a glance around and seeing a panicked Naruto and a fallen Neji, with a few "Demon's being yelled out brought him the conclusion that civilians were freaking out about Naruto winning. The feather's in the stands along with the increase of sound ninjas showed him another mess altogether. Invasion.

Sasuke was not stupid, hence the term genius that was so graciously placed upon him by his Chuunin Instructors. It didn't take him but a second to figure out that they were under attack, the thing that did elude him, was why the hell the crowd was calling Naruto a Demon. "Why the Hell?" He wondered. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think over the reason before the creepy red head, Gaara his memories supplied, went berserk.

—

Gaara screamed. There were only a few time times when he became extremely emotional. The only one that Temari could remember was when she was eight years old.

*FLASHBACK*

_She was laying down trying to go to sleep, though she was too scared to close her eyes. Her father had told her once again of all of the horrible things that her little brother was capable of, what he had already done. _

_She shivered violently before stilling completely. A scream lingered in her mind as she listened what was happening. She heard her little brother sob as her uncle, Yashamaru told him that their mothers, his sisters, death was his fault. He told Gaara how he had killed her and that she would never love him. He yelled at Gaara that no one loved him, that even his own father had sent Yashamaru to kill Gaara because Gaara was such a monster. Gaara gave a final wail when uncle Yashamaru told him that not even he loved Gaara and that it was all a lie._

_That was all young Temari heard before Yashamaru gave a violent scream and then nothing but an eerie splash against the floor._

*END FLASHBACK*

At this moment, Temari was scared shitless. She shivered before taking off towards Gaara. Gaara's sand was out of control and swirling everywhere. It was hard for her to see through it to find Gaara. When she did though, adrenaline began to pump through her veins at a rate that knocked the air out of her lungs.

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_A/N: Again, Another short chapter. And it's mostly a flashback... That ends up turning into a cliff hanger of sorts._

_Well I hope you guys enjoyed. Also, If you find any mistakes in either Grammar or Spelling please send me a PM or drop a review. I whole heartily welcome Construction Criticism.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I claim no rights to the Naruto Manga Series nor any of it's characters. It belongs to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto.

_**A/N: Alright, so this is Chapter 3. It's a lot longer than the other chapters, and using a different style too. I hope you guys like it.**_

_At this moment, Temari was scared shitless. She shivered before taking off towards Gaara. Gaara's sand was out of control and swirling everywhere. It was hard for her to see through it to find Gaara. When she did though, adrenaline began to pump through her veins at a rate that knocked the air out of her lungs._

**Temari's POV**

I looked at Gaara and all that came to mind was a feeling of fight or flight and an "Oh Shit!" To say that I was scared was an understatement. I'd never seen Gaara so livid, or even that emotional since Yashamaru-oyaji-san died. I would have tried yelling at him to get his attention, but I doubt I would leave alive. So instead I just continued watching him. My instructions were only to stay with him for when he ran out of energy of course, nothing to die over.

He raged and screamed about 'Mother' wanting blood, he was smashing and crushing things with his sand. I had to jump and maneuver out of the way a few times to keep from getting trodden to death. After a few minutes the pink-haired girl that we met before the Chuunin exams, I can't even remember her name, fell into the stadium along with a blond girl in purple. That wouldn't usually be noteworthy, except for the fact that they fell right on top of Gaara…!

This was, to say the least, surprising; it wasn't just that they fell on top of him. No that was supposed to be okay, as the sand barrier was supposed to block them from touching him. 'Supposed to' being the key phrase. Apparently, Gaara's sand barrier didn't find them a threat. Well, that didn't really surprise me; they were both new Genins that looked like they were starving themselves (they most likely were too, Kunoichi these days were too worried about their looks.).

There was turning out to be a lot of surprises today because not only did Gaara not crush them, he grabbed them and ran while yelling at the blond boy who had won against the Hyuuga earlier. Oops, I missed part of their conversation; I should probably listen more next time.

"Temari!" I looked behind me and saw my Jounin instructor, Baki. "Orders are to take out as many Leaf Ninjas as possible!" Uncertainty briefly passed through my mind. "But what about the orders to stay with Gaara?!"

He looked at me and said, "New orders from the Kazekage. Gaara can take care of himself! Now come on!" With one last look at Gaara I turned around to carry out my new orders.

**Naruto's POV**

"_Ah Shit! He has Sakura! And Ino!" _I was panicking, just about hyperventilating. First the civilians went crazy because I beat the living shit out of Neji (Damn bastard deserved it, I tell ya!) then Sound Ninjas start attacking everyone (Where the hell did they come from? Were they hiding as seats in the stands? That would be so disgusting, being sat on, ew!), and then, even worse, Sakura and Ino fell right on top of Gaara!

And worst of all! Gaara grabs them with his sand and yells that he'll kill them if I don't follow him! What the hell is his obsession with wanting to kill me? My blood isn't that appealing!

So I dash after them, hoping that he won't kill the girls. I have to protect them! Sakura's my teammate! And Ino's part of the Rookie Nine. Without them it would just be the Rookie Seven! That sounds a lot lamer than the Rookie Nine! And I like Sakura! Argh! Why did they have to fall on top of him?! Why?!

**Sasuke's POV**

Well, I have to say. I didn't think that Sakura and Ino would be that stupid. They were the smartest girls in our class after all. But of course, they managed to surprise me. Instead of trying to land somewhere else when they fell in to the arena, they could have pushed off of each other and landed else where, they chose to freeze and land on top of Gaara. Now that loser, Naruto, is trying to keep up with the freaky red head so that he doesn't kill the girls. Honestly, I would just let them get killed. They deserve it for being so weak as to get caught in the first place.

I gave a small sigh and followed them into the forest. As soon as they stopped, Gaara 'tied' the girls to a tree with some of his sand and starts taking the form of some sort of animal. Freaky. Pretty soon they're yelling at each other about the meaning of life. After a few minutes they start fighting.

What the hell? How is that loser able to use a summoning technique? And he has enough Chakra to summon the boss? A thought of the civilians chanting comes back to mind. They had said something about him being a demon. Maybe that was how he had so much Chakra? Hell, maybe he was a fox demon? That would explain why he pulled pranks so often. Or a monkey demon? He sure jumps around like one.

So the fight commences, Gaara's acting like an escaped mental patient, Naruto's acting like a hero wannabe. Though, Naruto is fighting really well, I'd probably have a hard time against him in a real fight. Soon Gaara gets even more pissed and uses a freaky Jutsu that puts him to sleep. Surprisingly, his sand begins to speak as if it's its own person.

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**A/N: So that's the third chapter. I hope you guys like it. And if there are any spelling, grammar, or other type of error in this, feel free to drop a review or PM explaining what they are and maybe how to fix it. Also drop me a PM or Review if you don't like the style. I always accept and appreciate Constructive Criticism.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto, unfortunately, is not mine. The manga/anime series belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: O.O Holy Crap! I got on to after not being on for like 4 or 5 months! And you wanna know what I found? I have almost 750 Hits for this story! (OoO) I have almost 2,000 hits for my one shot: Closest to It. I just about had a heart attack! I was like Yesh! Heh. Too bad not all of them reviewed.

So yeah sorry about not updating sooner. I've been pretty busy with College. I just started summer session; I love Karate and Japanese class! ^-^

By the way, as a really random note. Have you ever noticed that except and expect are spelled with the same letters but the P and C are switched? I don't know, Just noticed that while I writing this chapter.

Okay…I suppose I should get on with the story now. Here it is, please welcome chapter 4!

"'**BOLD AND CAPS MEANS DEMON'"**

"'**Bold means summons.'"**

"'_Italics means they're saying it mean'"_

_

* * *

_

*On top of the stadium*

Inside an indiscernible barrier stood three men. The man that was thought to be the Kazekage lifted his hand and grabbed his face. With a small pull, the face fell off to reveal pale skin and slitted yellow eyes. Across from his were the Hokage and Jiraiya.

"Finally, _Sensei!_" Orochimaru sneered, "Finally I will get to pay you back for picking _Namikaze_ instead of me for Hokage and my dear old teammate will be able to watch!" He laughed eagerly as Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.

"I may not have had the heart to kill you then, but I sure as hell don't have the heart now to let you live!" Sarutobi raged before moving in to attack with his staff.

"I should have done this long ago Orochimaru!" Jiraiya seethed. He formed a swirling ball of Chakra while running at the snake.

"You were always _Sensei's Pet_ weren't you, Jiraiya? " The snake sannin hissed while barely dodging their combined attacks. 'This isn't going to end well if both of them fight together. The old man would be easy by himself but with Jiraiya in the mix…Hmmm, There's no way I can get rid of him without fully taking down the barrier.' The smoke from Jiraiya's attack cleared as Orochimaru laughed louder.

Jiraiya growled when he heard his former teammate laugh.

* * *

*With Naruto and Gaara outside of Konoha walls.*

Gaara screamed in anger. 'A toad? He thinks that a toad can defeat me? No matter how big the stupid toad is he'll never win!'

'**THAT'S RIGHT! HE'LL BE DEAD SOON! HIS BLOOD WILL BE OURS!' **Shukaku howled inside Gaara's mind. **'LET ME OUT! USE THE JUTSU AND LET ME OUT! I WILL KILL HIM MYSELF FOR HIS INSOLENCE!'**

Gaara grinned and put his hands into position calling out, "Forced Sleep no Jutsu!" Before closing his eyes and slumping.

Naruto looked around wildly as the ground began to shake. Sand flew towards Gaara forming a demonic Tanuki. Naruto couldn't help but think that Gaara looked like a pimple and failed to contain his chuckles.

"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU FIND SO FUCKING FUNNY YOU LITTLE BRAT?"**

Naruto pulled in his laughs with a shiver from fear. He yelled out rebelliously, "Gaara sticking out like that makes you look like you got a pimple the size of Hokage Mountain!"

"**Naruto! Quit fooling around!" **Gamabunta scolded the blonde boy. **"We don't have time to be taunting like that!"**

Naruto huffed and stuck his tongue out at the toad king despite the tension in the air. "I'm just trying to distract him while I think of a way to beat him!" Just then, Naruto's face lit up. Exclaiming "That's it!" Naruto began whispering into Gamabunta's ear. The toad nodded slightly, careful not to throw Naruto off.

Seeing that Gamabunta approved of his plan, Naruto began shifting through hand signs. As he finished his last sign, Naruto noticed the demon in front of him begin the move forward in an attempt to attack. The blonde ninja grinned. 'Just what I needed him to do.'

"**RAHHHHHHHHH" **The Tanuki demon rushed forward. He was so in to his attack that he failed to notice the blonde grinning.

* * *

Naruto breathed in deeply and activated his jutsu. The air stilled for a split second before forming a gigantic tornado spike around Naruto's fisted hands. Pointing his fists toward Gaara, Naruto yelled out, "Now!"

Gamabunta charged at the Sand Tanuki. The tornado around Naruto's hands struck Shukaku practically exploded. The blonde was flung backwards into a tree while Gamabunta popped away. A cloud of dust sprung up where Gaara laid; when the dust subsided Gaara was awake but just barely and his demonic sand lay scattered around him.

"Gah!" Naruto stood up with a grunt. 'Crap, I'm just about out of energy, I hope Gaara gives up. If not there's not much else that I can do.' He thought before subtly limping over to the red head.

"Stop! Don't kill me! I must exist, I must!" Gaara hoarsely yelled. He visibly trembled, though Naruto wasn't sure if it was fear or exhaustion.

"You know, you and me…We're just alike. Except…You didn't have anyone when you were growing up did you? I didn't either…Until I met my precious people." Sympathized Naruto. Gaara looked at him strangely. "I probably would have turned out like you if I hadn't of found them…I would have been consumed by my hate, just like you…I wish that I could take all of that pain away from you…I can't even imagine how it is that you keep from having your heart explode with that much pain…That's why…That's why I fight for them…That's why I keep living, is so that I can make the world better…

"Better to where people don't have to go through that kind of loneliness...To achieve that, I'm going to become Hokage! I'm going to protect my precious people from not only getting injured or killed…But also from the loneliness that I've experienced since the day I was born!" The blond boy cried with a passion that made Gaara gasp.

* * *

Sasuke stared in awe at Naruto. 'I had no idea the Dobe was so strong. And what the hell was that jutsu he just did?' The Uchiha listened as Gaara gave into Naruto's was of thinking. Stepping out to where Naruto could see him, he noticed two people jumping down next to Gaara. He hurried to Naruto and got into a defensive stance. Naruto looked at him with evident curiosity. Seeing the two Suna ninjas, he too, got into a defensive stance.

"Temari, Kankuro, stand down and help me up. We're leaving." The blond Suna nin and Puppeteer looked at Gaara with surprise but followed his orders none the less.

As soon as they were gone, Sasuke turned to Naruto. He raised his eyebrow before saying, "You look like shit loser."

"Shut up Bastard! I just got done kicking that guy's ass! What did you expect me to look like? A pretty princess?" Naruto retaliated before remembering the girls. "Gah! Sakura and Ino! I hope they're alright!"

Hurrying over to where he last saw them, he sighed in relief. Even though they were still unconscious they didn't look to be harmed. However, Naruto almost fainted when he saw that Ino was on top of Sakura with her face in between the pinkettes legs and vice versa.

Sasuke took a look at was made Naruto freeze and sighed, 'Dumbass.' He walked over to the girls and pulled Ino onto his shoulder and motioned for Naruto to do the same with Sakura. The blonde boy wiped his nose before picking her up.

"Ne, Sasuke? I wonder if the invasion is still going on."

"I don't know. If it is, we'll take out as many enemy ninja as we can." Sasuke replied calmly.

"Yeah yeah! And they'll definitely have to promote us 'cause we kicked ass!" Naruto cheered.

"Psh, pipe down dobe. There might be enemy ninjas hiding around." Sasuke reprimanded.

They walked slowly back to the stadium slowly, paying close attention to their surroundings. By the time they reached their destination the invasion was over. Bloody bodies were everywhere. Thankfully most of the civilians were already in the Hokage Mountain. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't take the sight and as soon as Kakashi appeared in front of him and Sasuke, he passed out from both disgust and exhaustion.

"Well, good to see that the two of you are all right." Kakashi gave his usual one eyed grin. "You can tell me how the fight went as soon as we finish the clean up. "

Sasuke grunted as Kakashi picked up Naruto and Sakura. They jumped toward the hospital.

* * *

A/N: So there's the chapter I hope you like it. It's over 1,000 words! If anything is wrong with it, don't be afraid to drop me a review or a PM. I highly value constructive criticism.


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